Discovering joy through music has been a constant thread throughout my life. From the moment I first sat down at a piano, I knew I had found my passion. Over the years, music has provided solace, comfort, and a sense of purpose. And when tragedy struck and I found myself as a widow with young children, music became a comfort.
My first piano teacher nurtured my love for playing the piano. She was kind, patient and set high expectations that she knew I could meet. She encouraged me to play in church at a young age, which began a love for being a church pianist.
In high school, I joined the choir. My music teacher saw potential that I didn’t see and encouraged me to audition for the Chamber Singers, local and state competitions, and eventually colleges. He gave me the opportunity to accompany many of the choirs in our school, and my love for doing music every day multiplied. It was also during high school that I started teaching piano lessons, and found I loved it!
Read more...Budgeting is not always the most exciting topic, but it’s and imporant part of how I was able to make ends meet as a widow with young kids.
Having been budgeting for several years, I had a pretty good feel for it. But after Jon passed, I got out of the habit and struggled with motivation to continue. I was tired, sad and overwhelmed by life, and budgeting just seemed like one more thing. I had reduced our living expenses quite a bit and didn’t think I needed to account for every purchase.
Something Had to Change
I became aware of how important a monthly budget was several months into my journey as a widow. We were halfway through the month, and I only had $50 left for the month to buy food, and the fridge was looking bare. While my kids were only 5 and 7, they had healthy appetites. I couldn’t continue to leave it to chance. I needed to make a change.
Read more...In this third blog post of my financial journey as a young widow, I want to share one of the best pieces of advice I received when Jon and I were anticipating getting married. Our mentors at the time said, “Get life insurance. No matter how tight the budget is, make it a priority. Life can change in an instant, and you want to be prepared as much as possible.”
I had no idea that the advice given to two young college students would have such an impact on our lives.
Life Insurance
Jon and I got life insurance a few years after we were married, shortly after our first child was born, and since we were young and healthy, it was pretty inexpensive. Some months it seemed like a chore to continue to pay it, but we remembered the advice we were given and kept our policies.
Read more...As a widow with small kids, finances were a big concern. There are so many things that go into running a household, as I am sure you are aware - the mortgage, utilities, food, gas, car maintenance, and the list goes on. I had never been fully responsible for any of this, and while I had worked in several different professions, I had been out of the work force since my kids were born.
Social Security Survivor Benefits
One of the first things I did after Jon passed was to contact my local Social Security office to see if the kids and I qualified for Survivor Benefits. This program is in place to help widows with young kids make ends meet. There are certain qualifications and income limits, so you’ll want to go to your local Social Security office to get more specifics.
Read more...Losing Jon was a heart-wrenching experience, and I was overwhelmed when I thought about life without him. I was trying to grapple with his death, plan a funeral and burial, and was suddenly plunged into single parenting. I was also now the sole provider for my family, and there were so many unanswered questions:
- How was I going to make ends meet?
- Would I have to get a job and put my kids in school?
- Would I lose my dream of homeschooling my kids?
- What kind of work would I be able to find that would provide enough income?
